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Two weeks to show financial standing
Page 26
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The Traffic Commissioner is sceptical of a car transporter's claim that its records were destroyed in a flood.
A BIRMINGHAM CAR transporter has been given 14 days to produce evidence of sufficient financial standing or face revocation of its 0-licence. The company had moved without notifying the Traffic Commissioner and claimed that its records had been destroyed in a flood.
At the same time, West Midland Deputy TC Miles Dorrington suspended the two-vehicle 0-licence held by lsrar Rahim, trading as Shiftacar, for 14 days.
Rahim had been called before the DTC at a Birmingham disciplinary inquiry because of concerns over vehicle maintenance and the use of an unauthorised operating centre.
Vehicle examiner Simon A ndrewartha said he had carried out a maintenance investigation in June, after having difficulty contacting Rahim.
Rahim had moved operating centre without notification and was unable to produce any maintenance records, claiming they had been destroyed in a flood at his previous premises. There were no driver defect reports or forward planner.
Only one vehicle was available for inspection, and it had been submitted for annual test the previous Saturday. It had failed for a number of defects and was off the road awaiting repair.
One immediate and two delayed prohibitions. plus a variation notice, had been issued since the licence was granted in February 2007.
The initial pass rate at annual test was 33.3% and there were signs that the business was running to a limited budget.
Andrewartha said four safety inspection records produced at the hearing had not been properly completed.
Rahim said he had moved operating centre after a disagreement with the landlord, who had done nothing about a roof leak and had increased the rent.
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He had decided to move after the ceiling came in and wrecked all of the paperwork.
He had changed his maintenance contractor and had no problems since.
Rahim agreed he had failed to give notification of a six-month driving disqualification under the totting-up procedure following a conviction for using a mobile phone while driving.
He said he had not reported the disqualification because he had appealed against the conviction. However, the appeal had been dismissed.
Financial evidence was heard in private. Things had got "messed up a bit" due to the changeover, he added.
Rahim undertook to institute a written nil drivers' defect reporting system, to implement a forward planning system, and to make application for a change of operating centre within 14 days.
The DTC said he took the evidence of the flood with "a considerable pinch of salt". Rahim had avoided licence revocation by the "very, very narrowest of margins", he concluded. •